Tag Archives: Romance in Middle-earth

The program for the 14th annual Tolkien in Vermont conference has been posted. This year’s theme is Romance in Middle-earth, and the keynote speaker is Corey Olsen. There’s a modest registration fee, except for University of Vermont students and high-school students, who get in free. This is a small and friendly conference where everyone — whether professor, student, fan, or independent scholar — gets a chance to talk to each other and listen to each other’s presentations.Check out the Tolkien in Vermont website for this year’s and previous years’ programs. You can also join the Facebook event page. This year’s program information is copied below.

Registration fee: $25; $15 for students. UVM students and high-school students are free.

• The broken sword, a meme: Beowulf, Arthur, and ElendilZachary Dilbeck • Columbus State Community College

9:30 – 10:45: Session #2

• The tale of Turin, a hapless helpless boy with a doom for failed romanceGerry Blair • independent scholar

• Ill-met by moonlight: Aredhel and Eöl as the upside down of Beren and LúthienKatherine Neville • Signum University

• “Thus wrote Pengolodh”: Historical bias, its evidence, and its implications in The SilmarillionDawn M. Walls-Thumma • Coventry Village School

10:45 – 12:00: Session #3

• Realistic or fantastic narratives in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the RingsPeter Kao • National Chung Cheng University

• “I have loved you, and that love shall not fail”: Tolkien’s philological explorations of friendship, love, and romance in The Lord of the RingsDr. Marc Zender • Assistant Professor • Tulane University

• “And with him was Elrond Half-Elven”: The high king and his herald (still a better love story than Twilight)Dr. Kristine Larsen • Professor of Physics and Astronomy • Central Connecticut State University

12:00 – 12:45: Keynote

• The turning point in Tolkien’s careerDr. Corey Olsen • Signum University

12:45 – 1:45: Lunch

1:45 – 3:00: Session #4

• Dispelling misogyny in Tolkien’s women — through reflection of Medieval lyric and personal relationshipsAnnie Brust • Kent State University

• Sounds in the dark: Assimilation and continuity in The Hobbit: An unexpected journeyJeffrey Bullins • SUNY Plattsburgh

• Weberian “vocation” in The Lord of the RingsPaul Fortunato • University of Houston-Downtown

3:00: Coffee and tea

3:00 – 4:30: Session #5

• “Warm as sunlight, cold as frost in the stars” — Tolkien’s exploration of courtly relationships through the Lady GaladrielAndrew Peterson • Harvard University